


H/6 



B258-316-8m 



BULLETIN 

OF THE 

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS 

1916: No. 16 



MARCH 15 



Schoolhouse Meeting 

Suggestions for 

School Closing Exercises 

—I .:.'■■-■ 




1916 



Published by the University six times a month and entered as 
second-class matter at the postoffice at 
AUSTIN, TEXAS 



Vi,,n^(rraph 



The benefits of education and of 
oseful knowledge, generally diflfused 
through a community, are essential 
to the preservation of a free gov- 
ernment. 

Sam Houston. 



Cultivated mind is the guardian 
genius of democracy. ... It is the 
only dictator that freemen acknowl- 
edge and the only security that free- 
men desire. 

Mirabeau B. Lamar. 



J ii 



ctlS 



l:s. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR SCHOOL CLOSING EXERCISES 

Among the meetings at the schoolhoiise that create the greatest 
interest in school life and that attract the largest audiences are 
school closing exercises. Everyone is interested in the work 
of the children and in the general progress of the school. It 
should be the aim of the teacher to present to the patrons a pro- 
gram that will be attractive, that will give an idea of the work 
accomplished during the year, and that will awaken interest 
in the needs of the school and community. The teacher should 
make this meeting not only entertaining, but of real social and 
educational value to both pupils and audience. 

To accomplish this end, it is usually better to devote parts 
3f several days to these exercises than to attempt to do too much 
in one day. It is also wise to give every opportunity to student 
committees to render social service and to assume responsibility 
for the success of this happy closing of their year's work. 

The programs given in this bulletin have already been suc- 
cessfully carried out in Texas high schools. The teacher who 
feels that a similar program will be of value to his community 
should realize that the numbers must be carefully selected and 
adapted to his local conditions. Programs entirely suitable to 
one school district can rarely be adopted in all their details by 
a school of another locality. The number of exercises on this 
program can be diminished or increased, and different subjects 
substituted to suit the work done in different sections of the 
state. ^ 

PROGRAM FOR A RURAL SCHOOL 

General Suggestions. — The following program for a rural high 
school may appear long. The pupils of the school in which it 
Avas rendered were trained to make every oral exercise in regular 
school work an interesting talk, delivered in a clear, distinct 
tone of voice, while standing before their respective classes. The 
habit thus acquired eliminated almost all the time frequently 
required for "practising pieces," and the regular work was 
little interfered with. Another point that saved much time was 
the choice of subjects for talks and stories. The subjects chosen 



4 Bulletin of tlie University of Texas 

were among those thoroughly worked out in class during the 
school term. Thus the preparation and presentation of each 
number for "Closing Day" required the minimum amount of 
time. The familiarity with the subject, and the ability to speak 
before an audience gave the speakers poise. They handled their 
materials for demonstrations and their other forms of illustrative 
material with ease and efficiency. Their efforts pleased and in- 
terested the audience. 

A study of this rural school program will reveal its educa- 
tional value to bot^i pupils and listeners. Related, as it is, to 
the life and conditions of school and community, its popularity 
is assured. The tiresome reading of a dozen or more essays on 
abstract subjects with little or no relation to present life in the 
community should be eliminated from the school closing, exer- 
cise. 

Good, lively music is always a pleasing and restful feature. 
The teacher must be the judge of the number of musical selec- 
tions to be given. 

There need be no "commencement" expenses referred to the 
trustees of a rural school. The pupils can be given a form 
which may be used in writing their own invitations to friends 
outside of the district. The programs posted in the store and 
postoffice windows, and published in the county papers should 
prove sufficiently formal invitations to the home folks. En- 
graved or elaborately printed commencement invitations are not 
needed and are not in good taste. 

The subject of dress for these occasions need not be a vexing 
question. The girls enjoy wearing the neat, inexpensive cotton 
dresses they make in the sewing class. The teachers, parents, 
and pupils should cooperate in eliminating any false notions 
regarding dress and graduation presents. It is not in good taste 
to present graduation presents in public. There are so many 
more important things to talk about that these minor problems 
can be tactfully kept in the background. Extravagance and 
ostentation have no place in rational school work. The spirit 
of the school, however, has much to do with the prominence of 
such questions. 

The material for demonstrating the subjects on the closing 
program can be brought from the homes of the pupils. The 



Suggestions for School Closing Exercises 5 

necessary equipment for these demonstrations may be found 
in the school laboratories. For instance, in the talk on "How 
to Cook Tough Meats," the speaker brings the school oil-stove 
and other necessary utensils from the school kitchen to the 
stage; but she brings the meat from home. In the demonstra- 
tion of "How to Make a House Dress," a sewing table, dress 
form, and sewing machines from school sewing room should be 
placed on the stage. While awaiting their places on the pro- 
gram, the girls quietly organize and make a dress in full view of 
the audience. 

Before the program closes, a dainty gingham house dress com- 
plete in every respect, is ready for the school auction, which may 
be the last event of this interesting day. The proceeds from the 
auction sale pay for the materials recjuired for the dress, and 
may add a neat sum to the school treasury. Other articles made 
by pupils during the school term may also be sold at auction; 
such as, a furnished doll house made by grammar grades, and 
various articles made by group workers, in the manual training 
shop. In each instance, the material is brought from community 
homes, or purchased of local merchants and paid for from pro- 
ceeds of the auction. 

Decorations. — The stage and schoolroom should be decorated 
in green boughs and local wild flowers that lend themselves well 
to decorative purposes. Texas has many such plants : cedar, live 
oak, algereta, mesquite, Spanish moss, palms, daisies, blue bon- 
nets, phlox, and others. The tlowers will keep fresh much better 
if gathered the evening before and placed in cold water, so as to 
be well filled with water before being used for decoration. 

PROGRAM: 9:30 TO 12 o'CLOCK 

Anthem by School. 
Reading of Scriptures. 
Prayer. 

The Lord's Prayer, recited or chanted in concert. 
"Words of Welcome. 
Exercises by Primary Grades. 

Some Books I have Read This Year. The Book I Like Best, 
and Why. 



6 Bulletin of tlie University of Texas 

A Cotton Tale. 

Ecology of Flowers. 

Piano Solo, or Chorus by Glee Club. 

The Life History of the Butterfly. 

A Page from Texas History. 

Story of "The Man Without a Country." 

Farm Sanitation. (*Illustrated by model and chart.) 

Yeast, Its Growth and Uses. 

Music. 

How to Cook a Tough Steak. (Demonstration.) 

^Mendelssohn 's "Spring Song" by High-School Girls. 

Balanced Rations for a Dairy Cow from Feeds Grown in Our 
County. (*Illustrated by chart.) 

Song: "Farmer John," by High-School Boys. 

How to Make a Board True and Square. (Demonstration.) 

A Cup of Tea. (Demonstration.) 

A Home-made Fireless Cooker and How to Use It. (Demon- 
stration.) 

Music. (Instrumental.) 

Calculations in Dairy Cow Tests. (Illustrated by Chart and 
Babcock Tester.) 

History of the School Year. 

Chorus : " A Farmer 's Life for Me. ' ' 
Barbecue and Social Hour 1 ,^ ^ 

Visit Exhibits J 

AFTERNOON PROGRAM : 2 TO 4 P. M 

Address by Prominent Visiting Educator. 

Short Talks by Patrons and Neighbors. 

Awarding of Diplomas, Prizes for Home-raised Products. 

The School Auction. 

Sonj?: "America." 



*Have pupils make the charts on large sheets of manila paper. On the 
charts place drawings, statistics, calculations, and other forms of illus- 
trative material. Mount the charts on simple frames made for the 
purpose and place them on the platform near the speaker. Use brown 
or black crayola to make drawings. 






Suggestions for School Closing Exercises 7 

EVENING PROGRAM 

A good operetta or drama, the reading of the final copy of 
the school paper, and some good music are excellent features 
for the evening entertainment. A small admission fee may be 
charged. The rural operetta, "Alvin Gray, or the Sailor's Re- 
turn" was used with the above program with much success. 
(See the list of dramas and entertainments, page 21.) 

SUGGESTIONS FOR CARRYING OUT THE PRECEDING PROGRAM 

For the opening exercises use : ' ' The Lord Is My Shepherd, ' ' 
arranged by Palmer, John Church Music Co., Cincinnati, Ohio; 
or a good praise hymn selected from collection of church music, 
such as "Come Thou Almighty King," or "Holy, Holy, Holy." 

For the reading of Scriptures by a local minister, or respon- 
sive reading by teacher and pupils. The First, Ninth, Twenty- 
third and Twenty-fourth Psalms are appropriate and easily 
committed to memory. 

Follow the prayer by the minister by reciting in concert or 
chanting the Lord's Prayer. (See Gospel Songs.) This chant 
may be followed by "Old Hundred" sung by pupils and the 
entire audience standing. 

The "Words of Welcome" may be given by a pupil from any 
grade. The following was given by a little girl of the fourth 
grade of a Texas school: 

"Kind Friends: We welcome you to the fourth annual clos- 
ing exercises of our school. Since you last met with us we have 
built this new well-ventilated auditorium and furnished it with 
conmfortable seats. We also installed new gasoline gas lights for 
our evening exercises. We welcome you to this new school hall 
which we expect to use tonight and many more times during 'the 
year. 

"The school library will be open every Saturday from four 
to five o'clock. The glee club, the girls' culture club, the boys' 
debating club, and the neighborhood meetings will continue their 
work here during the summer. All are welcome to attend and 
take part in these gatherings. 

"Today, we, the pupils of School, wish to show you 



8 Bulletin of the University of Texas 

something of the work we have done dnring the year. We have 
tried to prove ourselves worthy of the opportunities you have 
provided for us. We trust you will feel that our efforts have 
made it worth while to continue your interest in this school and 
what it is doing for the community. It has been our aim to make 
school work useful in our homes and on our farms. You will 
see this aim expressed in our exhibits and in what we have to 
say today. We are striving for an education that will help us 
appreciate and make the best of all that life here in the open 
country can give us, — the valuable, the beautiful, the useful 
things that can be found nowhere else but on the farm. I wel- 
come you to this red-letter day of all the year. 

' ' We ask all to observe the most important rule of our school- 
house meetings: 'Shake hands with your neighbors, renew old 
friendships, and make many new ones.' 

"We also want you to be sure to see our school exhibitions, 
and our horse show; to help eat the barbecued dinner, and to 
return to your seats when the bell rings and hear the second 
part of our program. Be ready to bid at the school auction; 
come back tonight ; and criticise us kindly in all we do. 

"Again, I bid you welcome to our fourth annual closing 
exercises." 

Exercises by Primary Grades. This part of the program 
should consist of short, bright selections from the year s work in 
story, memory gems, nature study, gymnastics, games and songs. 
The children should know their parts so well that they can give 
them readily and with joy. After their program, when 
they show signs of fatigue, the teacher chosen for the purpose 
should have the little people march quietly out of the building 
and retire to a remote, suitable part of the play ground where 
she can supervivse their games until the noon hour. Similar 
definite plans must be carried out for supervising the little chil- 
dren during the afternoon program. 

The following are suggestions for the primary exercises se- 
lected from primary school work of the year: Stories from 
Aesop's Fables, memory gems from Field and Stevenson, stories 
from the Art Readers (used as supplementary text in Texas 
schools), "The Story of Chicken Little," "The Little Red Hen," 
and others of this nature. 



Suggestions for School Closing Exercises 9 

Children love the Mother Goose songs. Those learned during 
the term can be given in costnme, or snng as solos, and then in 
chorus. Motion songs and the folk games from Hofer and 
Burchinal make very enjoyable features. The nature stories 
must be from real experiences of the year 's work. For instance, 
have a pupil tell the life history of a mosquito and its dangers as 
studied in the schoolroom, and illustrate this story with large 
drawings made by pupils who know how to use crayons. 

The following is a story entitled "How Seeds Sprout," as 
told by a group of children who studied seed germination : 

The first child said : ' ' We made glass gardens in our rooms. I 
know you will think a glass garden is a queer kind of garden. 
I '11 tell you how we made them. First, we took a glass tumbler 
like this, and lined it with a piece of blotting paper, this way. 
"We then put wet sawdust or wet sand in the middle, like this. 
We put the beans, peas, and grains of corn between the glass and 
paper, so. We watered the gardens every morning." 

The next child said: "I will tell you part of the story of my 
bean seed. Soon after I put the seed into m.y garden, it began to 
swell. It swelled and swelled until its skin burst and then a 
little white sprout came out between the two fat leaves of the 
seed. This sprout grew from both ends. The top end made the 
stem for the plant and the other end made the root. This root 
grew many very fine little branches. These little, hair-like 
branches took in some of the water that soaked through the 
paper. We looked at this tiny root through the microscope." 

The third child continued : ' ' Then the funniest thing hap- 
pened. The little crooked stem straightened out and pushed the 
two fat leaves and the brown skin up until they came out of the 
glass like this. Can you see it? (He holds up the plant.; 

"Next these two fat leaves and the stem both turned green. 
Another strange thing happened. The two fat leaves grew thin- 
ner every day as the little plant grew bigger, until at last they 
dried up like little pieces of husk and dropped off of the 
plants, like this. 

"Our teacher helped us to find out that the fat leaves in the 
seed held the food for the baby plant until it was big enough to 
get food from the air, the water, and the sand. There was 



10 Bulletin of the University of Texas 

enough food in the sand or sawdust for some of the plants to 
grow a pod. Here is one." 

Then the fourth child concluded: "We studied the leaves of 
the bean and the queer little flower with its bent part that made 
the pod. "We made' little books of our bean stories and pictures. 
We made pictures of the different ways the bean looked. You 
will see them in our school exhibit. 

"We all like beans to eat. The part we like best is the part 
the seed has saved to feed the baby plant, and it is found in the 
fat leaves. 

"We cooked some bean soup for dinner on our school stove one 
day. We can tell you how to make bean soup." 

The pupil who gives the talk on "Some Books I Have Read 
This Year," or "The Book I Like Best and Why," could have 
on the table some or all of the books he has read during the 
year. He might take up each one, make a short comment on 
it and its author and why it was a good book to read, dwelling 
longest on the book he liked best. It is presumed that the pupil's 
reading has been directed by the teacher. 

"A Cotton Tale" is the story of cotton from the seed to the 
neat cotton dress made by the girl who tells the story. Samples 
of cotton in various stages of growth and manufacture, as well 
as completed textiles, should be displayed on charts. "The 
Story of Cotton" and "Textiles" from the Home Economics 
Library are valuable reference books. See list of Farmers' 
Bulletins of United States Department of Agriculture, Wash- 
ington, D. C. 

For the talk on the "Ecology of Flowers" see the school text 
books on botany, "Fairyland of Flowers," and Bergen's "Bot- 
any for Beginners." For illustration, actual plants and home- 
made or bought charts are used. 

If the school has no piano or organ, substitute a "Chorus by 
the Glee Club" or some other musical number in place of the 
"Piano Solo." Perhaps some music lover in the community 
would be glad to loan his piano for this occasion, or bring his 
Victrola and play some of his best records. The music may all 
be supplied by school solos and choruses from the Texas Com- 
munity Song Book, or any other good school song book. (See 
list on pages 22 and 23.) 



Suggestions for School Closing Exercises 11 

The talk on "The Life History of a Butterfly" should be il- 
lustrated by drawings made by a pupil who has observed the 
different stages of insect life. This can be made a very inter- 
esting number. The topic might read: "Life History of a But- 
terfly and Some of Its Relatives." In this case there will be a 
comparison of the moth and the butterfly. The speaker may use 
among his illustrations the eggs of the monarch butterfly* which 
are found on the greenish flowered milk weed that grows in bar- 
ren places along the roadside. Branches of this weed containing 
eggs can be brought to school and kept in a glass jar and secure- 
ly covered with a piece of mosquito bar. The young caterpillars 
should be fed fresh milk weed leaves each day. Their habits can 
be easily learned. When in the pupa state, the baby butterfly may 
be hung on the schoolroom wall where all can watch for the 
transformation which it is hoped will occur during school hours. 
The boy who has seen this beautiful thing grow from the tiny 
egg to the full grown insect will be glad to tell his experience and 
is likely to see other interesting things, useful and destructive, 
in the insect world around him. These studies help to make 
farm life more attractive. 

The story of the mosquito and the dragon' fly are also easily 
learned from observation, supplemented by the aid of a good 
book on nature study.* 

For "A Page of Texas History," see the textbooks for the 
story of the, Alamo or some other equally interesting story of 
Texas history. This should have been prepared as a part of the 
regular history class work. 

The' story of "The Man "Without a Country" must be much 
abridged, and could be told by some pupil from the civics class 
who is able to choose the proper topics. It is a very effective 
number if well told. 

"Farm Sanitation." Ilustrated by model and chart. See 
Public Health Bulletin No. 68, United States Public Health 
Service, Washington, D. C. 

The talk on "Yeast, Its Growth and Uses" .should be given by 
one of the girls of the domestic science class, who has studied 
bread making. On her charts she can show greatly enlarged 



*See "Weed's "Life History of American Insects": The Macmillan Co., 
New York, N. Y. Price, $1.50, and "Comstock's Nature Study," Corn- 
stock Pub. Co., Ithaca, N. Y. Price, $3. 



12 Bulletin of the University of Texas 

drawings of yeast plants. If a compound microscope is avail- 
able, yeast plants may be shown to interested visitors. Speci- 
mens of "dry yeast" and "growing yeast" should be shown. 
The gas manufactured by these tiny plants can easily be col- 
lected, and its properties demonstrated. 

Specimens of good bread and bad bread should be exhibited, 
and the reasons for its being "good" or "bad" explained. Con- 
sult Farmers ' Bulletin No. 389, Bread and Bread Making; Uni- 
versity of Texas Bulletin No. 306, Simple Cooking of Wholesome 
Foods for the Farm Home; and textbooks on cooking. 

An oil stove and a table, with other necessary utensils for 
cooking steak, should be previously placed on the stage for the 
number "How to Cook a Tough Steak." A girl from the do- 
mestic economy class, who has learned the proper method of 
cooking steak, can take a piece of tough steak and in the presence 
of her audience cook it tender, serve it on a platter and garnish 
•with parsley. She will have charts to explain the composition 
of meat, and the methods of cooking the different kinds of food. 
She will emphasize the cooking of proteins below the boiling 
point, and explain why and how the meat is cooked at the proper 
temperature. Consult the University of Texas Bulletin No. 344, 
How to Cook Tough Meats, and Farmers' Bulletin No. 391, The 
Economical Use of Meat in the Home. 

For the paper, "Balanced Rations for a Dairy Cow from 
Feeds Grown in Our County," have one chart with table 
of nutritive values of feeds, and another chart with calculations 
of the balanced ration. The boy who gives this talk will explain 
what is meant by a balanced ration, why the diet should be 
varied and mixed, and how to find the ratio for animal rations. 
He may add that human beings also require balanced rations 
and that the department of cooking is working out a balanced 
ration for school children and grown people from foods grown 
in his county. See "Fundamentals of Farming and Farm Life," 
by Kyle and Ellis, or any other good textbook on general agri- 
culture for help on this .subject. 

"How to Make a Board True and Square" should be a demon- 
stration by a boy from the manual training class. Work bench 
and necessary tools are brought to front of stage. The boy takes 
a piece of stock, and shows how to determine working face, work- 



Suggestions for Scliool Closing Exercises 13 

ing edge, etc. He shows the nse of try square, plane, knife, and 
ruler. He explains each step of his work, emphasizing the value 
of doing every kind of work in a " true-and-square " manner. 

For the number, "A Cup of Tea," let a girl from the cooking 
class tell the story of how and where tea is made. She shows 
pictures of tea plants, tells how different kinds of tea are grown 
and manufactured, and shows chart giving ingredients and meth- 
od of preparing a cup of tea. She shows good and bad tea, tells 
how good tea is made, and then serves on a dainty tray a cup 
of good tea with tempting but simple sandwiches served in a 
dainty basket made by a pupil. Carpenter's "Geographic 
Eeader on Asia," and Farmers' Bulletin No. 301 are good refer- 
ences on tea. 

In demonstrating "A Home-Made Fireless Cooker and How 
to Use It," a girl opens a fireless cooker which she has made of 
the following material: a candy bucket, some excelsior, news- 
papers, a sheet of asbestos, a tin bucket, a yard of un- 
bleached muslin, and a few tacks. She takes out the oatmeal 
which had been put into the cooker the evening before, and shows 
the difference between cereals cooked all night in the fireless 
cooker and cereals cooked on the ordinary stove in a short time„ 
She explains the benefits of cooking cereals a long time, and ex- 
hibits a chart mth drawings of starch grains. She shows the 
fuel-saving, the energy saving, and the step-saving properties 
of this simple home-made utensil, and then serves with sugar 
and cream the perfectly cooked oatmeal which she has taken out 
of the cooker. See University of Texas Bulletin No. 2, 1916, 
Conveniences and Labor-Saving Devices for tlie Farm Home. 

In the "Calculations in Dairy Cow Tests," if time permits, a 
boy from the class in agriculture can test some milk from a local 
dairy herd. He will have written on a large chart a list of fig- 
ures showing daily weight of milk from two cows kept on his 
father's farm, the monthly average of butter fat, the amount of 
concentrates and roughage fed with cost of same, together with 
the salary of their caretaker. He thus demonstrates the real 
value of these cows as "producers" or "boarders." Consult The 
Cost of 'Raising a Dairy Coiv, Farm Bulletin, United States De- 
partment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. ; Farm Bulletin No. 
55, The Dairy Herd; Farm Bulletin No. 413, Care of Milk, Get 



14 Bulletin of the University of Texas 

literature on Babcock Tester from local mercliant who sells the 
machine. 

The subject, ''The History of the School Year," explains it- 
self. The pupil who undertakes this speech will make a list of 
topics, including improvements of school plant during the year, 
the work on the school farm, the benefits derived from the new 
phases of school work, list of valuable community meetings, and 
the number of addresses by prominent people. He describes a 
few of the educational tours taken by the pupils, tells how the 
school museum was organized, and how additional equipment 
was obtained ; tells of games won or lost, of the value of the 
year's athletic work, of .school exhibits at the schoolhouse and 
at the county fair, of progress of home work and of the school 
farm, of how school work is being adapted to life on the farm, of 
the year's special days and successful parties, and many other 
matters that will be of interest to the audience. 

After this talk, the pupils should sing their school song. This 
original number is always rendered with great enthusiasm, and 
furnishes a happy ending to any school program. 

The barbecue dinner should be a community affair. The 
trustees should appoint a committee to manage this event, to 
which both citizens and patrons contribute according to their 
means and to which everybody is invited. This period of two 
hours also offers opportunity for social gatherings and a visit to 
school exhibits presided over and explained by committees of 
pupils. 

SPEAKERS FOB SCHOOLHOUSE MEETINGS 

The University of Texas, the Agricultural and Mechanical 
College, the State Normal Schools, the College of Industrial Arts 
and various private and church schools of the State often fur- 
nish speakers for commencement occasions, free of charge except 
for traveling expenses, as do the State Department of Education, 
the State Department of Agriculture, and other State depart- 
ments. If any of these institutions is located in the vicinity of 
your school, the services of a lecturer can be secured at little 
•expense. By inquiring in time, it may be possible to secure some 
«of these lecturers without any expense at all to the school. 

Ministr-rs, lawyers, physicians, statesmen, newspaper editors, 



Suggestions for School Closing Exercises 15 

farmers, and business men are often glad to give their services 
on these occasions. 

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS 

We print below selections and modifications of the best pro- 
grams suggested in answer to a questionnaire sent out to a large 
number of superintendents in Texas asking for suggestions on 
commencement programs. 

The following program, which was given at a rural school, is 
modeled after the formal city program and has in it features 
more appropriate to a class day: 

1. Violin Solo. 

2. Salutatorian. 

3. Class Prophecy. 

4. Class Will. 

5. Valedictorian. , 

6. Presentation of Diplomas. 

7. Vocal Solo. , >\ 

8. Commencement Address. 

9. Quartet. 

The following is a more dignified' program. In addition 
to it there could be on separate dates a class day program, a cele- 
bration by the primary and intermediate grades, and, possibly, 
on Sunday a sermon addressed to the graduating class. This is 
a great improvement on the plan of having each member of the 
class read his ' ' essay. ' ' 

1. Chorus— Glee Club. 

2. Invocation. 

3. Piano Solo. 

4. Declamation. * 

5. Essay. 

6. Piano Solo. 

7. Oration. 

8. Essay. 

9. Literary Address. 

10. Piano Solo. 

11. Presentation of Diplomas. 

The next program is considered a model by many city super- 
intendents. The exercises were held in the high school assembly 



16 Bulletin of flie University of Texas 

hall ; no extravagant dress, no tlowcrs, and no prasents were per- 
mitted. The time devoted to the program was short — about 
forty-five minutes. There were no expenses for the Board of 
Education to defray. In connection with a program like this a 
class play is often given. 

1. Prayer. 

2 Chorus by High School. 

3. Address (20 minutes) by an Alumnus. 

4. Chorus by High School. 

5. Presentation of Diplomas. 

6. Chorus by High School. 

7. Benediction. 

Here is another simple program suitable for the city high 
school : 

1. Song. 

2. Class Entrance. 

3. Invocation. 

4. A Song to Alma Mater. 

5. Salutatory. 

6. Address by Class Representative. 

7. Trio. 

8. Valedictory. 

9. Presentation of Diplomas. 

PROGRAM FOR THE LOWER GRADES 

1. Song — -"School Days," Primary Department. 

2. "A Printer's Pi," Primary Department. 

3. "A Picnic Party," Primary Department. 

4. "United States Entertains," Intermediate Department. 

5. Sunbonnet DrilP, Seveifth Grade Boys. 

6. Japanese DrilP, Seventh Grade Girls. 

7. "Crowning the May Queen "^ (play), Intermediate Grades. 

8. Reaing the "School Journal." 

9. School Song. ' 



^"Surprise Drill Book," T. S. Denison & Co.. Publishers, 154 North 
Tiandolph St., Chicago. 

-Morris Brothers, Publishers, Lebanon, Ohio. 

'"Folk Dances and Singing Games," by Elizabeth Burchinal contains 
a May Pole Exercise and a collection of Folk Games. Price $1.50. 
>G. Schirmer, East 43rd St., New York City. 



Suggestions for School Closing Exercises 17 

Louisa Aleott's "Little Women" and "Little Men" are also 
suitable dramas for this program. Address Eldridge Entertain- 
ment House, Franklin, Ohio. 

THE SERMON TO THE STUDENTS 

Some elementary schools follow the custom of higher educa- 
tional institutions by including a baccalaureate sermon in their 
closing exercises. If possible, lectures and sermons especially 
planned for the young people and the citizens of the community 
should be given several times during the year. It would not be 
difficult to organize a course of lectures for the school and its 
patrons. Ministers, musicians, readers, lecturers, and other 
friends of education are often glad to give their services to 
schools for traveling expenses only. There is more local talent 
that can be utilized in this way than most teachers realize. 

A PROGRAM FOR " HIGH-SCHOOL SUNDAY'"' 

1. Hymn: "Come Thou Almighty King." 

2. Prayer. 

3. Sola: "Love Ye the Lord," Handel. 

4. Hymn: "Coronation." 

5. Heading from the Scriptures. 

6. Prayer. 

7. Sermon. 

8. Benediction. 

CLASS DAY PROGRAM 

Among the happiest events of happy school days is the Class 
Day program given during closing week by the high school grad- 
uating class after all the required work of the term has been 
completed. Upon this occasion, the members of the class give to 
their friends an original program consisting of songs and music, 
bright little stunts portraying various events of their school life, 
and sometimes a class play. This program varies according to 
the originality and resources of those who have it in charge. 
Sometimes there are a class poem, a class will, a class history, 



18 Bulletin of tlie University of Texas 

a class prophecy, the surprises offered by the "giftorian" and 
a ''school journal." 

Perhaps, from the point of view of its popularity, the class 
play is one of the most important features of the class day pro- 
gram. "A drama" is often the most interesting part of a "last- 
night" program in schools that do not even boast of a graduat- 
ing class. Sometimes this plaj^ is written by pupils under the 
direction of the teacher of English. It may be based upon local 
history or some good novel that has been studied throughout the 
year. Most frequently, however, these plays are chosen from 
lists selected by the teacher from catalogs of well-known enter- 
tainment houses. 

Dramas or parts of dramas from standard literature offer ex- 
cellent opportunity for cultivating a taste for the best authors 
and for emphasizing valuable work done in the class room. The 
proper rendition of such dramas usually requires a teacher, or 
director with training and some experience in amateur theat- 
ricals. 

Many graduating classes under proper direction and incent- 
ives have presented programs of merit based on the following: 
Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," "Midsummer Night's Dream," 
"Much Ado About Nothing," "As You Like It," and "The Mer- 
chant of Venice"; Sheridan's "Rivals," and "School for Scan- 
dal;" Tennyson's "Princess;" Dickens' "Cricket on the 
Hearth," "Our Mutual Friend," and "Bardel vs. Pickwick." 

The following plays and cantatas have been successfully given 
in many class day events and in schoolhouse meetings: "Box of 
Monkeys." "The Ladies of Cranford," "Mrs. Jarley's Wax 
Works, " " Mr. Bob, " " Tommy 's Wife, " " Sweet Girl Graduate, ' ' 
"Gallagher," "The Schoolma'am," "The Obstinate Family," 
"When a Man's Single," "Men, Maids, and Matchmaker," "My 
Aunt's Heire-ss," "Maidens All-Forlorn," "Alvin Gray or the 
Sailor's Return" (a rural operetta). 

The Eldridge Entertainment Company, Franklin, Ohio, will 
locate and send to you any of the above plays. Their catalog 
contains lists of songs, cantatas, drills, plays, novelties, and 
programs for school, church, and club. Other firms that deal 
in entertainment material are : Walter H. Baker & Co., 5 Hamil- 
ton Place, Boston, Mass. ; Edgar S. Werner & Co., 43-45 East 



Suggestions for School Closing Exercises 19 

19tli St., New York City ; Dick and Fitzgerald, Publishers and 
B'ooksellers, 18 Ann Street, New York City ; and The White- 
Smith Music House, Chicago, 111. 

SCHOOL EXHIBITS 

In all live schools there is training of the hand as well as 
of the head and heart. Each school day should afford an oppor- 
tunty for hand work related to the life of the school and the 
home. The special day programs afford excellent opportunity 
for the pupils and the teacher to show the patrons what the 
school is doing. Few things can be done during the school 
year that will be so encouraging to the pupils as an exhibition of 
things that they have made with their own hands. 

The exhibit work should be arranged in three groups : primary 
grades, intermediate grades, and high school grades. 

PRIMARY EXHIBIT 

Paper. — Freehand cutting, cutting after tablets used as pat- 
terns; cutting out pictures, classifying them, and pasting them 
in scrap books; hand-made booklets conaining free cuttings of 
pictures representing different rooms and occupations of the 
home, or different occupations of the farm; bird pictures, ani- 
mal pictures; means of transportation; flowers, etc. There are 
may people w^ho will be glad to send teachers the back numbers 
of papers and magazines, flower catalogues, etc., that can be 
used to 'Secure necessary pictures. 

Draiving. — Freehand drawing with brush and pencil, book- 
lets with original cover designs made by pupils for keeping 
record of new words and for keeping records of work in nature 
study, a garden book, leaf book, flower book, posters on which 
groups of children have 'worked, mats, paper furniture, wagons, 
engines— all form attractive and interesting parts of the paper 
exhibit. Many other- things will suggest themselves to the wide- 
awake teacher. 

Clay. — In many communities ordinary clay can be found which 
will work up well for modeling individual objects, or for illustra- 
tion of stories in groups or bas-relief. The potter's clay is best, 



20 Bulletin of the University of Texas 

and can be obtained by the barrel at little expense from the pipe 
works.* 

Cardboard. — Boxes, booklets, card holders, backs for booklets, 
paper relief maps, furniture and wagons with sure enough 
wheels that go round, are among the many things that suggest 
themselves. 

Nature Study Collection. — It is easy to provide collections of 
garden seeds (labeled in bottles brought from home), weed 
seeds, farm crop seeds, and flower seeds ; collections of pressed 
leaves, of pods, roots, and deserted birds' nests; collections of 
eggs or larvae of insects from Avhich their life history can be 
observed, such as, the eggs of frogs, caterpillars, mosquito wig- 
glers and tadpoles. Boxes, tumblers, egg shells, or sponges used 
to show plant germination, and rag doll corn testers all add 
much to the interest of this exhibit. 

Selling. — Sewing cards,, mats, and baskets; things for the 
faniily of dolls and for their doll house made by group of be- 
ginners in the manual training class; baskets made of corn 
shucks and twine, of grass, and of willow twigs. 

EXHIBITION OF INTERMEDIATE AND HIGH-SCHOOL GRADES 

Agriculture. — Samples of soil of the district properly labeled, 
home grown cereals, cotton, products from the school garden, 
note books; groups of pictures used to illustrate certain subjects, 
such as livestock, housing stock, cooperative activities; poultry 
houses, model egg testers, trap nests, feed hoppers, watering 
troughs, seed testers, home-made refrigerators, gates, fireiess 
cookers, and all kinds of models from wood shop ; exhibitions of 
fruits, vegetables, farm crops ; exhibition of livestock, dairy pro- 
ducts, eggs, potted plants. Each locality will afford other ex- 
hibits peculiar to that place. 

Domestic Economy Exhibits. — Sewing from regular class work 
and home work. A group of girls from cooking class can occasion- 
ally serve visitors simple refreshments made of material brought 



*There are several such firms in Texas. The Saspamco Pipe Works, 
Saspamco, Texas, and the'Texarkana Pipe Works, Texarkana, Texas, 
are among the most prominent. Get a book on clay modeling and 
try it. Address Milton Bradley Co., Chicago, 111., for catalog of books 
and supplies. 



Suggestions for School Closing Exercises 21 

from their respective homes, such as coffee, hot chocolate or coffee 
and home-made wafers. At times, these refreshments may be 
sold for the benefit of some phase of the school work. Rag rugs 
made on the school loom are useful articles that are much ad- 
mired. These should be artistic and of commercial value. 

Exhibition of bread and biscuits, demonstrations of cooking 
milk, cheese, eggs, meat, vegetables; note books on sewing and 
cooking; home canning demonstrations and exhibits; dried and 
canned fruits and vegetables, all lend themselves readily to an 
attractive exhibit. 

Exhibition of Beading Material and Class Work. — A table 
containing files of agricultural bulletins ; shelves containing 
labeled cardboard-box files of bulletins : examination papers, and 
notebooks on history, literature, farm arithmetic, algebra, geome- 
try, composition, and memory gems, are very appropriate. 

Home Exhibits. — The modern rural school encourages the child 
to demonstrate at home the principles learned at school. Inter- 
esting tours can be made to the homes of the pupils who are cul- 
tivating gardens, flowers, fruit, or raising poultry, hogs, calves, 
and colts. Exhibits of home work by pupils, and by other mem- 
bers of the family are among the most valuable exhibits. These 
may consist of sewing, canned foods, jellies and preserves, quilts, 
flowers, pictures, embroideries, crocheted articles, carpets, wood- 
work, and a collection of curios. 

MUSIC AND MUSIC BOOKS SUITABLE FOR SCHOOL OR COMMUNITY 

GATHERINGS 

The University of Texas Community Song Book. (Ready 
Sept. 1, 1916.) 

The Laurel Music Reader. Price 50c and 60c. 

The Laurel Song Book for High School. Price $1.00. 

One Hundred Folk Songs. Gilbert. Price 50e. 

Thirty-six Songs for Children. Grand-Schaeffer. Price 75c. 

Songs from a Child Garden of Verses. John Beach. Price 75c. 

Twenty Song Classics Arranged for Children. Bentley. Price 
25c. 

The Assembly Praise Book. Price 35c. 

Eighteen Songs for Community Singing. Price 15c. 



22 Bulletin of tlie Vniversity of Texas 

For the above address C. C. Birchard & Co., Boston, Mass. 

Songs We Like to Sing. Birdie Alexander. Price 35c. Silver, 
Burdett Co., Chicago, 111. 

Brewer's Assembly Song Book. Price 15e, and Brewer's High 
School Song Book. Price 15c. Auditorium Building, Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Lilts and Lyrics for the School Room. Riley and Gaynor. 
Price $1.00. Clayton F. Summy, Chicago, 111. 

CHORUSES FOR SCHOOL OR GENERAL USE 

Oh, Hail Us, Ye Free! G. Verdi $ .10 

Glad Festal Day, G. Bizet OS 

Prayer of Thanksgiving (Folksong), E. Kremser 08 

Forget-Me-Not, Th. Giese 08 

Fiddle and I, A. Goodeve 08 

The Phantom Horseman, G. R. Nevin ' 06 

Song of the Old Bell, 0. Berri 08 

Estudiantina, P. Laeome 12 

A Song of the Flag, G. L. Spaulding 06 

'Tis Morn, A. Geibel 08 

When the Roses Bloom Again, Stephen Adams 08 

Songs of the Sunny South, Hall 12 

War Songs for Schools 15 

May-time (Madrigal) , Stewart 15 

The Rosary, Nevin 15 

A May Daj^ Dance (unison chorus, four-hand accompani- 
ment ) , Nevin 15 

Holy Art Thou (Largo from Xerxes), Handel 15 

Lullaby, Dvorak 15 

Greeting to Spring (Blue Danube Waltz), Strauss 16 

TWO-PART SONGS FOR GIRLS ' VOICES 

Merry June (Vocal Polka, Soprano and Alto duet), Charles 

Vincent 10 

Merry Maidens (Soprano and Alto duet), Sinclair Dunn. . .08 

Holy Song (Op. 16, No. 1), Nathaniel Irving Hyatt 12 

The Glowing Days of Autumn (Op. 107, No. 1), Eduardo 

Marzo 12 



Suggestions for ScJiool Closing Exercises 23 

Joys of Spring ("Waltz Song), arranged by Hans Lichter. . .12 

Swing Song, Frederic N. Lohr 10 

In the Merry, INIerry May (Revised and Edited by H. 

Clough-Leighter) , F. Clarisse Mallard 10 

Clover, Eduardo Marzo 12 

I Sing Because I Love to Sing, Giro Pinsuti. ., 10 

Gaily We're Tripping (Vocal Waltz), George A. Veazie. . .16 

Blow Soft Winds (Vocal Waltz), Charles Vincent 15 

Bright Summer, Charles Vincent 05 

Jolly Winter (Vocal Polka), Charles Vince/it .10 

Lovely Rose, Charles Vincent 05 

Thoughts of Home 'er the Deep, Charles Vincent 05 

THREE-PART SONGS FOR GIRLS ' VOICES 

Oars Are Plashing Lightly, The (Trio), Adam Geibel 10 

Morn Rise (Arranged by Charles Fonteyn Manney) > Steph- 
anie Gavotte 12 

We Are the Gay, Happy Students (Arranged by N. Clif- 
ford Page) , Paul Lacome 12 

Come Where the Fields Are Beaming, W. Berwald 16 

The Nightingale (Edited by Hans Lichter), Alfred R. Gaul .08 
Waltz from Faust (Arranged by N. Clifford Page), 

Charles Gounod 16 

Murmur Soft, Ye Breezes (Edited by Hans Lichter) , J. B. 

Wekerlin 12 

O'er Blooming Meadows (Edited by Hans Lichter), J. B. 

Wekerlin 12 

Spring Song (two parts), Mendelssohn 12 

Elves' Dance (two parts), Newton 10 

Doan Yo' Cry, Ma Honey (three parts) 12 

Copies of the above music will be sent on selection subject to 
purchase or return by forwarding postage to The Eldridge En- 
tertainment House, Franklin, Ohio. This firm will furnish pub- 
lications from all dealers. 



24 Bulletin of the University of Texas 

SUBJECTS SUITABLE FOR COMPOSITIONS 

Agriculture: 

The flora of this community. 

Some ways of beautifying our school plant. 

Some ways of beautifying this town. 

The work of the Texas Industrial Congress. 

New creations in plant life. 

Luther Btirbank, the plant creator. 

The natural history of this district. 

History of my tomato patch. 

Girls' canning clubs. 

Boys' corn clubs. 

Conservation of soil fertility. 

Illinois system of soil fertility. 

Conservation of moisture in the soil. 

Conservation of our forests. 

The uses of cotton seed. 

The message of Denmark — the result of education and co- 
operation on the life of the people. 

William Eaiffeisen and the farmers of Germany. 

Sir Horace Plunkett and Irish agriculture. 

The parcels post and how it helps the farmer. 

The business side of dairying. 

The points of a good dairy cow. 

The points of a good baby beef. 

Good roads. 

The value of a road drag, and how to make one. 

Materials for road-making found in this district. 

The care of farm machinery. 

Sheep raising in Texas. 

The pecan industry in Texas. 

Diversification in farm crops. 

The value of corn crops. 

A one-horse farm. 

The value of a good garden, and how to grow one in this dis- 
trict. 



Suggestions for School Closing Exercises 25 

Legumes and their value to the farmer. 

Alfalfa. 

Burr clover. 

How to get rid of Johnson grass. 

The farmer of yesterday. 

Plows and plowing*. 

How to advertise farm products. 

Modes of travel. 

The rise of the automobile. 

The automobile on the farm. 

The farmer of tomorrow. 

How to break a colt. 

Oats and the crack of the whip. 

The life history of the boll-weevil. 

The eradication of the cattle tick. 

The work of a gasoline engine on the farm. 

Lighting farm buildings. 

Domestic Science: 

Domestic Economy and the public school. 

Better babies. 

How to make bread. 

How to cook tough meat. 

Kitchens and kitchens. 

Danger of dust. 

The cold pack method of canning. 

How to cook potatoes. 

Substitutes for meat in Texas cookery. 

"Madam, who runs your kitchen?" 

A balanced meal for a working man. 

A review of work done in our year's work in sewing. 

How to make pretty rag rugs. 

Food value of the peanut. 

Household pests and how to get rid of them. 

Bandages and how to make them. 

From wool to cloth. 

Some much needed household conveniences. 



26 Bulletin of the University of Texas 

Country Life: 

The Country-Life Commission. 
Value of a school library to the community. 
The work of the school nurse. 
An efficient country health officer. 
Danger of the house fly. 
Danger of the mosquito. 
Insect-borne diseases. 

The story of how the United States got rid of yellow fever. 
Typhoid fever, a preventable disease. 
The relation of recreation to crime. 

Existing social centers in this district and how to improve 
them. 

The effects of inadequate social life in the country. 

Social gatherings of our fathers. 

The rural school as a social center. 

A school home for our teacher. 

The cost of malaria to Texas and how to prevent malaria. 

The cost of hookworm to Texas and how to eradicate it. 

Education: 

Financial value of an education. 

The ultimate end of education. 

Does our education prepare us for life? 

Health campaigns and the school. 

The control and organization of the public schools. 

What Texas has done for the education of the negro. 

Education for citizenship. 

The University Interscholastic League. 

The place of athletics in school life. 

The truant problem in Texas. 

The Gary plan of education. 

What should girls study? 

A school home for our teacher. 

The value of team games. 

The honor system in school. 

The educational value of essay and spelling contests. 



Suggestions for School Closing Exercises 27 

The school garden. 

How a school may become affiliated. 

History: 

What La Salle did for America. 
The American Navy. 
Our present attitude toward Mexico. 
Merchant Marine. 
Pan-American Union. 
History of our town. 
Name and history of our county. 
The common people of ancient Rome. 
The influence of wealth in imperial Rome. 
The women of the Caesars. 
Knights and knighthood. 
The story of Cedric the Knight. 
A character study of Cromwell. 
William E. Gladstone. 
A page from American history. 
Pioneer life in Texas. 
Story of the Texas Republic. 
• Evidences of Greek influence. 

Miscellaneous: 

Our own town. 
Printing in our town. 

Economic preparedness for the United States. 
Motion pictures: benefit;^ and disadvantages. 
A letter to the county newspaper. 
Story of how I learned to plow. 
History of Valentine Day. 
'Life on the Texas plains. 
Life on a cattle ranch. 
Washington, a character sketch. 
The peace policy of President Wilson. 
The life of Whittier. 
Patroling the border. 



28 Bulletin of the University of Texas 

An original Christmas story. 
The local newspaper. 
Boy Scout movement. 
Campfire clubs. 
Social service as a life work. 
The American citizen of the future. 
Eelating our studies to life. 
Should Texas be divided? 

The place of the barbed wire fence in history. 
The submarine. 

Public speaking, a qualification for leadership. 
Use and abuse of translations of the classics. 
"Look well to your speech." 
The country theatre of North Dakota. 
How shall we prepare for war? 
Tom Sawyer. 

Place and value of Southern literature in our schools. 
My favorite American poet. 
Why I like "Huckleberry Finn." 
The Henty books and why I like them. 

Why this community should have regular "schoolhouse meet- 
ings. ' ' 

THE MAY FESTIVITIES 

(By Katherine Murrie, Supervisor of ]Music in the Austin 
Public Schools) 

After the dull winter season when nature begins to awake to 
new life, we have a most splendid opportunity for special pro- 
grams. 

The teacher should read to the children the myths pertaining 
to the departure of winter and coming of spring. Also read the 
Robin Hood stories and the ancient customs of the outdoor 
frolics, and have the children become thoroughly acquainted 
with such customs. 

I would suggest "Festivals and Plays" by Percival Chubb, 
published by Harper & Brothers, New York, as a very valuable 
help to any school taking up this work. 



Suggestions for School Closing Exercises 29 



SUGGESTED PROGRAM NO. I 

A tucket will anounce tlie starting of the players from the 
school. 

1. Progress to the Green : 
Charioteers. 

The Folk Dancers and Maypole Dancers. 
Milk Maids and Shepherdesses. 
Sherwood Foresters. 
The Queen, wnth her attendants and train. 

2. Enthronement of the Queen: 

The Lord of May presents the Lady of May with the in- 
signia of office — Crown and Scepter. 

3. Songs : 

(a) "May Comes Tripping." 

(b) "The Month of May." 

4. Chariot Races. 

5. "Lovely Loo." 

6. "I See You." 

7. "Swedish Klapp Dance." 

8. "Keel Eow." 

PART II 

Sports and Eevels of Robin Hood and His Foresters. 

Robin Hood and his companions, Maid Marian, Little John, 
Will Scarlet, Friar Tuck, Allan-a-Dale, the Jester, and the Hobby 
Horse. 

1. Three loud blasts of Robin Hood's horn summon the men 
and maids of the merry greenwood, who march before the Queen. 

2. Song — "Under the Greenwood Tree." 

3. Dance. 

4. Songs. 

(a) "Forester's Song." 

(b) "The Hunt Is Up." 

5. Maypole Dance. 

6. Contest bv Robin Hood's men "Tilting the Quintain." 



30 Bulletin of tlie University of Texas 



BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SUGGESTIONS — PART I OP PROGRAM 

Very inexpensive costumes can be prepared. 

The Folk Dancers should wear wreaths and garlands of wild 
flowers, carrying branches of green in their hands. 

For the Robin Hood costumes, the boys may have a bright 
colored jacket with belt, paper cap to match. The children will 
have many helpful suggestions as to how to work out the cos- 
tumes inexpensively. 

No. 3. To be found on pages 11 and 93 of the "Primer" of 
Modern Music Series, published by Silver Burdett & Co., Dallas, 
Texas. Price 25c. 

Xo. 4. Four children with a driver should be selected from 
the lower grades for each group. Use as many groups as de- 
sirable. Bright colored strips of cloth should be used for lines. 
The children should not be factened together in any way, only 
holding hands so they can easily break should they stumble. 
Have given signal for starting. Make this as nearly like a race 
as possible. 

Nos. 5 and 6. These are to be found with music and directions 
in "Singing Games and Dances" by Marie Hofer, published 
by A. Flanagan, Chicago, 75c. 

Nos. 7 and 8. With Music and directions in "Popular Folk 
Games and Dances, ' ' by Marie Hofer, published by A. Flanagan, 
Chicago, $1.00. 

PART II 

Sufficient material may be found in "Ye Olden English Pas- 
times," publi.shed by H. W. Gracy & Co., 2 W. 45th St., New 
York,'N. Y. 



i™flRY OF CONGRESS 



'021'S 968 r# 



